A new study developed in the context of LOCALISED and published in Energy Research & Social Science provides a novel, comprehensive, and spatially explicit analysis of the energy poverty risk of households due to a forced transition to low-carbon lifestyles.
By integrating indicators related to energy systems, food security, household lifestyles, and broader socioeconomic factors, the study assesses the risk of households facing energy poverty using the newly developed Heat-or-Eat Risk Index (HERI). The HERI provides insights into the heat-or-eat-dilemma – a well-documented condition that puts households in a difficult situation of reducing energy services or nutrition to fulfil their basic needs. Developed as a multidimensional approach, the study maps how households are exposed to unjust side effects of the energy transition. This mapping identifies European regions where certain populations are at greater risk of experiencing energy poverty due to competing pressures in the energy and food domains.
The paper introduces the framework to better assess the justice of mitigation measures by offering a detailed, reproducible, and transferable methodology to guide targeted interventions and policy support. At a time of rising energy prices and economic uncertainty, the study provides crucial evidence for strengthening social resilience and enabling more just energy transitions.
This new resource is set to play a key role in informing more equitable climate and social policies across Europe.
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